Guardian Angel
by Katsumadarkness
Summary: Duo gets captured again, and finds his Guardian Angel. WARNINGS: PoV Switches, Duo torture, 1x2 3x4 **COMPLETE**


Guardian Angel - Katsumadarkness

Okay guys, I understand that Heero seeming as an Angel is Cliche, but hey, it worked for the story. ;)

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Gundam Wing... (Wish I did), but I don't, so they don't belong to me. This is a story written from me to my little sister, because I know she likes this pairing. (Hey, I like it to!) Happy reading, Seeestar ;)

* * *

"I listened silently to the dull sound that was the hospitals version of 'music'. To their credit, it was soft enough that I didn't have to listen to it instead of the plan I was slowly forming in my head. The gun that was nestled in the back of my waistband dug uncomfortably into my lower back, but for now I could bear it as it was only a minor inconvenience for the job I was about to do. A glance up to the numbers on the top of the elevator told me that I was coming up to my stop.

I reached behind me and rested my hand on my gun, my finger hovering over the trigger as I clicked the safety off with my thumb. I heard the audible *click* despite being hidden behind the long braid down my back. Luckily for me, my braid never got in the way, it was even handy! I had a set of lock picks hidden away in it along with a thin knife; can never be too well armed.

The elevator dinged my arrival and I found myself grinning somewhat sadistically as a guard stepped in below me to check out the reason the thing had come up in the first place. I dropped down, hitting him squarely on the head with my boot and then landing as close to the wall as I could, tapping the door close button with the barrel of my weapon. It was easy to strip the guard and dress in his clothes before stowing him away in a corner of the elevator.

By the time someone found him, I'd be loooong gone. Yep! that's me, Duo Maxwell; knife in the dark... or whatever you want to call me. I prefer Shinigami myself. I turned out of the elevator and walked along the side of the room. Just patrolling here, nothing to see; move along... I could see a few people in one of the control rooms, but they were no concern of mine.. .my target was laying strapped to a table in a viewing room. Unconscious by the looks of it. He looked about my age and I was curious... why was he here? Hey, who am I to question orders anyway?

I waited until something called them away from the console and moved up to it. I was actually surprised to see he was awake even though his vital signs hadn't changed. I know he couldn't hear me, but he could SEE me. I ran down to the room and hastily unfastened the straps that held him stationary. Here I was thinking that we'd make a smooth getaway by leaving dressed as guards but NOOOO Mr Evil Kenivle decides to run straight at the glass wall... and jump out of it. We were on the fourteenth story for Gods sake!

I had a parachute and deployed it as I jumped, my eyes scanning the ground in practiced sweeps before I spotted him. A few jerks of my parachute and an early release later, I was on the sand next to him, checking him over.

"Hey!! Are you nuts?!"

"Hn." The kid was rolling on the sand, doing something with his leg; it looked broken.

...Talkative wasn't he? Who *was* this guy anyway?

"Come on man, I just saved your life... Thanks just MIGHT be in order 'ya know." I leaned over, watching him from underneath my bangs before wincing when he reset his own leg! What kind of person WAS he? "Look man, let's get the hell outta here and we'll figure out what's going on..'kay?" I forced my normally cheerfulness... I don't know why but there's something about seeing someone set their own leg that gives me the heebie geebies.... All I got from the guy was a 'Hn' In response as he and I left.

We got to one of the small safe houses close to that town where I was able to get a better look at his injuries; not that he let me look at them persay... We got some food and ate in an uncomfortable silence... at least for me it was uncomfortable. I found myself talking just to fill in the void that his silence was leaving. During this time, I learned two things about the guy: His name was Heero, and he wasn't a talker. I sighed as we bedded down for sleep.

Of course the next morning, he was gone... I have no idea why I was surprised about this, I really shouldn't have been. I had mission after mission though, so the guy named Heero was pushed out of my mind quite easily actually.

I ran into him a few times after that, and during one of those times, we both tried to blow up a ship and I found out that he was a Gundam pilot...Just like me.... "

"Hey, it's getting dark; guess I should stop reminiscing about things and get going, huh..Deathsythe?" I reached out and tapped a few buttons on my control panel and glanced up at the HUD's around my cockpit. It was habit to check my radar, my Diagnostic diagrams of Deathsythe and so on and so forth. I could see Heero and Wing above me, and his cockpit image to my upper right. Wufei was beneath him, Shenlon running course parallel to me. We'd been given a group mission to intercept a shipment of Oz mobile suites. Quatre and Trowa were off on their own mission, so this had been left to the three of us. I was relying on Heero to be our eye in the sky persay, keeping mine on the ground as we traversed the ground; our Gundams cloaked against radar.

"ABORT!!! PU---"

I yelped and glanced up at Heero's image in my cockpit communications. His picture was fuzzy and staticy... I could see flashes of light on his video. "Come Onnnnn Deathstyhe!! let's go buddy!!" I pulled back hard on the thrusters and heard my gyros spinning as they compensated for the sudden change in direction and rocketed towards Heero's last known position. I could see Shenlon following in my radar. "Heero!! Wu-man! I need confirmation on what we have!"

"We have a problem, Maxwell. shut up and drive."

Jeez...sometimes Wufei was too calm for his own good. Before long, we could see the flashes of light that were explosions. I powered up my sythe and screamed as I boosted to the max speed I could handle...that Deathsythe could handle. I could practically *taste* Wufei's disgust as I cackled even while a Taurus was slit in two. "I'll teach you to mess with the God of Death!!"

I crowed into the com links and spun, swinging the sythe through one of the Leos that were pinging away at my legs. "You scratched 'Sythes PAINT!" I knew that 'Sythe couldn't take much air fighting; that was more Wings thing. "We have to end it *soon* 'Fei!"

"How many times have I told you not to call me that Maxewell?!"

I laughed grimly as I saw Shenlon launch a fury of attacks at a Leos that got too close. I knew he understood... 'Fei was always quiet...but he understood..Neither one of our Gundams could take much aerial combat. Though Shenlon was slightly better than Deathsythe. I heard a pipping in my radar and turned, but I was too slow. I braced myself for a blast but only shook a little bit. "What the...Heero?!" I could see Wing in front of me, between me and the Taurus that had fired at me. The Tuarus soon blew up...getting hit with Wings Cannon must not have agreed with it.

I was worried though, I could see Heero had at least a head wound, but it was hard to tell what else; his picture was so staticy.. I screamed as my cockpit shook when Deathsythe took a hit to his back. I'm sure I'd have bruises shaped like my harness in the morning. I returned that scream as I spun and hacked through two of the Aries on one swipe.

"Mission, Complete. Pull out."

I heard the affirmative from Wufei and gave my own before checking systems on Deathsythe. I'd landed him towards the end of the battle and had noticed that one of my thrusters was acting up. "Hey guys, I'll be along soon; gonna check a few things on 'Sythe.." Once the two disapeared from my radar, I started limping my Gundam back to the school...or rather the woods were we hid them.

I made it well after the other two and parked Deathsythe before running one final diagnostic. I'd need to do some repairs on him in the morning.. Getting out of the cockpit was a battle in and of itself; Getting thrown around in mid battle would bruise anyone. Never said the harnesses we comfortable... By the time that I got back into my room, Heero had already patched himself up and was already on the damned laptop. "Ne..Heero?"

No answer. All I heard was the clakking of the keys of that blasted keyboard. I sighed and grabbed some clean clothes before going into the small bathroom. No matter how much I got thrown around in the cockpit, I always felt better after a Hot shower.

It took a while of standing under the hot spray to get my muscles to stop hurting so bad. When I got out, I could see just how many bruises I'd gotten. Sure enough, there was a crisscrossing from my harness over my chest. I got dried and dressed before coming back into the room, armed with my hairbrush and a towel. Heero was *still* on the laptop, but had now changed and was wearing only boxers, I might add. "Ne...Heero?" I decided to try again, this time I had success!

"Aa?"

"What happened today?" I could see him stop typing, but nothing other than that. "I mean...with the battle.. wasn't it supposed to be a shipment? ...Normally shipments aren't piloted."

"False information; it was set up as a trap for a single Gundam." He said no more and went back to typing on the laptop. I on the other hand sat on my bed and began the long process of combing, drying and braiding my hair. That finished, I just rolled over and went to sleep...the ticking of the keyboard lulling me into that soft blackness... at least before the nightmares.

Three days after our ambush, I found myself on a single mission, but it didn't go well. As of that moment, I had no idea of where 'Sythe was... but I was sitting curled into a ball in the cold cell that the Soldiers had thrown me after ... I was able to get my now loose braid into my hands, squeezing my eyes shut as I trembled.

It was cold... and the floor was damp. I don't know how much time had passed... I'd been given a few very small meals, but only those were meant to keep me going. By the time that a pair of soldiers drug me out of the Cell, I was all but unconscious.. It'd been what.. two..three days? Maybe longer... maybe less.

"Duo Maxwell..." Oh..shit, I knew that voice.. I forced myself to look up, my bloody bangs sticking out at weird angles made that hard... along with the swollen eye. I refused to admit defeat, so I forced my best smile and upbeat voice.

"Hey Une! How's it goin'?" I went into a fit of coughing when the guard cuffed me across the head and forced me to my knees. Shit, i was stiff and I could feel it. Une pulled out her gun and what happened after that...I wish I didn't know.

I was thrown back into the cell, but this time I wasn't tied up; didn't need to be. One knee had been shot out, an arm broken, and the other wrist broken... Not much I could do with that... After a while, A few days I would imagine someone came into the Cell and lifted me in a fireman hold over his shoulder. The guard said nothing, and I was grateful... I was almost beat as it was... talking would have taken the strength I had left. For some reason, the person was familiar to me, but I couldn't place why..

"Duo!!" That voice...was familiar. I lifted my head to try to look at who was talking, but my vision swam and went blissfully black - My arm had been knocked.

**

* * *

============Quatre=============**

"Heero! What.... He's...Duo.." I clung to my chest, just looking at Duo was painful. Needless to say, when Duo passed out, I was alarmed, but I understand, there's nothing I can do for it. I started climbing in the back seat while Heero was carefully putting our friend into the jeep.

"You're driving." The tone of his voice brooked no argument, so I hurriedly hopped into the drivers side and started the engine. Once Heero and Duo were in the backseat, I hit the gas and sped back to the safe house as fast as I dared... something was utterly..utterly wrong...Duo wasn't talking... Even if he *was* unconscious..normally he'd be yakking anyway.

I glanced back in the rear view mirror and saw something that I'd never seen before... Even though he was patching up Duo's wounds... Heero was running his hands through the blood matted bangs.. He glanced up at me and stopped, but I smiled; I'd seen it. The rest of the trip was stressful, for me at least. Would Duo live? Would he Die? I went as fast as I dared.

I could feel it in my chest, Duo was having a hard time hanging in there. He'd been in so much pain before passing out that it had almost blinded me. Thank Allah for small wonders when he was unconscious. I radioed ahead to Trowa and Wufei, letting them know that Sally would need to be called; Duo was in really bad shape.

I did my best not to look up in the rear view mirror. I knew that Heero did his best to hide his feelings from Duo, from everyone. Being an empath had its advantages though. Even though he wouldn't talk to me, I knew enough to know that he really liked Duo. Heero had his pride and I respected that by letting him deal with it how he wished.

* * *

**==========Heero============**

I'm sorry, Duo...I would have come sooner, but I was on a mission of my own.. I sighed quietly, gently wrapping a few wounds on his legs. By the looks of it, his knee had been so badly injured that it would be HELL for him to get back to any semblance of working order.. As I wrapped one of the infected wounds on his arm just to KEEP out more infection, I found that my eyes were burning - Why were they burning?

Tears? I looked down at the moist droplet on my fingers in silence. When had I ever cried? I growled to myself and shoved it back, setting Duo's arm with a series of snaps. Break to undo the bad healing... reset to let it heal better. I could hear Quatre wince up front at the sound of snapping bone, but it had to be done. Only once I was done setting his arm, did I take the time to look at his face.

He was so bruised, some that looked extremely old.. How long had he been captured? My mission had been... a month ago now? I reached out and gently ran my fingers through his bangs. They were matted with blood; Duo loved his hair. I noticed that Quatre was looking at me and I pulled away from his hair and reset his wrist.

Duo....How long were you in there... I saw the newscast...just like the rest of the world...I took care of him for you-He got what he deserved, Duo. I clenched my fist so hard that I felt my muscles spasm against themselves.. Not to mention my shoulder was twinging. Only once I'd patched Duo up the best I could did I work on the bullet wound in my own shoulder.

"Heero...we're here."

I looked up at Quatre when he spoke and parked the car before glancing back down to Duo; the moonlight made his skin look Sallow. For a moment, I didn't know if he'd make it, I thought that he wasn't breathing. Right as I shifted to try to check, I noticed that his chest was moving; but slowly....almost too slow.

As carefully as I could, I lifted him into my arms and carried him as gently as I could towards the House. He was so light... so much different than before. In all the times that we've fought, been holed up I've *never* seen or felt Duo this light. I mean, he was always a shrimp next to the others... well maybe not Quatre.. What is this? About everyone else, I can think objectively, but when it comes to Duo, I can't seem to think anything logically.

I looke dup when a pool of light hit my feet. I saw Wufei and Trowa standing in the door. Quatre ran over to them and I could hear his high pitched worried voice as he spoke fast. Trowa's one eye widened when I brought Duo into the harsh light of the house. It was almost nonexistent; but I noticed it.

"I need stuff to get him cleaned up..." I saw Wufei leave quickly, heading up the steps, carrying Duo up them myself after the other Chinese man.

Duo....you have to pull through...

**

* * *

==========Wufei============**

Shit..Duo how the hell did you get into that kind of shape? I practically ran up the steps, the tails of my white coat moving behind me, but I really wasn't paying attention to decorum right now. I'd seen the podcast... We all had. It'd only taken a few days to figure out how to break him out. And even then, freaking Yuy didn't wait for the rest of us to help him. It was only by chance that Quatre saw him leaving and was able to provide backup. Freaking Yuy.. ALWAYS running off on your own.

I grabbed the large box of first Aid supplies and moved out of the bathroom into Heero's room. It didn't take a genius to figure out that Duo liked Yuy, only Yuy seemed oblivious to the fact. I bit back a growl at how Yuy treated Duo and entered the room. I could see that he'd stripped the braided pilot down and was working on cleaning his wounds with Trowas help.

I couldn't help but wince inwardly at the way he looked... His elbows and knees were grossly visible, his face sunken and shallow. I could see bruises -Both old and new around his eyes and on his cheeks. His chest was the worst; it was riddled with yellow, green, purple, blue and red. I could see the dried blood and hastily patched together wounds. It looked like he'd tried to take care of himself a few times.

"Here. Sally on her way?"

"Yes, we called her when Quatre radioed. She said she might be-" Trowa cut off when a knock came at the door. "I'll get it."

* * *

**==========Trowa==========**

Needless to say, I was shocked at how Duo had looked when Heero brought him inside. When we'd seen him on the podcast being dragged by two Oz Soldiers, he hadn't looked *half* this bad.. He was even smarting off to the camera and Une.

I knew how Quatre was feeling and stopped in our room a few moments to see how he was doing. A peek, really. He was laying on the bed, with his hand clutching his heart. I turned from the door and moved quickly down the steps.

I was angry, but not as angry as Heero was. I could see the tension in his shoulders and chest as he tended to the other Pilot.

"Sally."

"Trowa, how is he?" Sally stepped into the house, nodding to one of the Maquinacs that came walking up. Rashid followed.

"Master Trowa, I was told Master Duo had returned?"

I nodded, closing the door behind Sally and turning, heading up the stairs, my hand on the railing. "He has, but not in good shape." I looked down to Rashid, I could see him blanch and step back. "We're planning on how to pay them back for what they did to Duo."

I moved to the side as Sally rushed past me. She'd read my words, and I nodded at Rashid. "Pull up the podcast, Rashid. We need to look over it again for clues."

"Sir."

* * *

**===========Duo=========**

I wasn't really aware of what was going on... I just knew..I was tired. I tried to dig through that thick fog that was keeping me down, but I couldn't. I could hear things, people, soft voices, sometimes louder ones. I could have sworn that Heero was talking; it was just my imagination.

* * *

**==========Heero=========**

I kept silent while the others moved back to the outskirts of the room. Quatre and Trowa weren't there; Trowa was helping Quatre with his pain. He didn't like seeing people hurt; it always hurt him in return.. something like that.

I waited patiently for Sally to finish checking Duo out. I watched as she set up an IV drip and inserted the needle into his arm. I was patient on the outside, but inwardly, I was worried for Duo. I glanced up when Trowa entered the room, a data pad in his hands.

"We need to go over the data again; find out what happened."

"Aa." I looked over at Duo before standing and leaving the room. I knew that Quatre would probably already be in the 'conference' room. I could hear the other two behind me as we entered the room.

I took up my position against a wall, watching Trowa hook up the data pad to the larger Television.

I looked up, watching Lady Une appear on the screen. We all fell silent as Trowa hit the play and the recording moved again. I noticed the Maquinacs coming in, but didn't bother giving them my attention. That was reserved for the viewing screen.

I felt my blood oil when Une came on to announce that they'd captured a Gundam Pilot. I could see Duo handing between the arms of two Oz Soldiers. A glance at him, I didn't see anything wrong, but when she pulled out her gun and shot him in the thigh, I could tell that his leg was broken. That made me clench my fists even harder. That means that at 0640 two weeks ago, he had a broken leg...Or longer... His wound was older than that.. What was the date on his mission?

* * *

**==========Trowa==========**

I had seen the podcast time and time again, but I was never really looking as close to it as I was now. We needed to see what the time frames of this were, we had to find out how long Duo had... I had a suspicion that this podcast was recorded much earlier than we thought... Duo's leg looked like it had been broken longer than two weeks; the date of this podcast: April 13 A.C 192

I had my arms crossed over my chest as I watched the recording. I could tell that Quatre was having troubles watching this again, but the only comfort I could offer was to hold my hand on his Shoulder. He reached up and held it, and I squeezed his shoulder; but nothing more. I could see Heero watching the recording intently; I could even see his muscles tense when Une shot Duo's thigh. I could feel Quatre gasping as well.

Judging by the suns location; the time on this video was early morning; it was really low, but very bright. The sky was orange and blue, instead of purple and Grey.

* * *

**==========Wufei=========**

This was heinous! I could see Duo's grunt of pain when the bullet hit him in the Thigh, and after he tried to stand; even with a broken leg.

Duo...

I crossed my arms over my chest, inspecting the podcast, the room behind them for anything that we could have missed. I saw the information reflected in the computer screens, but wasn't able to make out what it said. I also noted that his leg was a fresh break. The wound he had when he got here was anything but.

I could see movement in the corner of my eye and looked over a few seconds. I turned away with disgust, watching the video. How can those two be so uncaring when we saw that view screen?!

* * *

**===========Quatre==========**

Duo! How can you survive that!?

I was scared for him, as if watching this view screen was giving me the feelings that he had even as it happened. His leg....

I reached up to hold Trowa's hand when he held my shoulder, squeezing it tightly. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the screen. I couldn't stop watching Duo's face when he was pulled away from the camera. Was that....hope that I saw on there? Was it loss of hope? I made a small sound and bit it back, my hand tightening on Trowas.

The view screen clicked off and I pulled my hand away, looking at the others.

"I ...noticed something else this time around."

"What?"

I reached over and rewound the tape to where he was being turned away. "There... watch his face." I watched, pausing when he was looking right at the camera. "It's-"

"Hope." We all spun in unison as Sally spoke from the door. "He was hoping that you would come get him.."

"Or hoping that we didn't." Trowa's voice was soft in my ear and I turned, my eyes wide to look at him. "Trowa?!"

"What do we do with tortured and Gundam pilots? We kill them." I made a small sound and bit it back when the others looked at Trowa. I could see it in their faces..

"Which...do you think it was? I think it was hope that we FOUND him.. you know how Duo is."

"Aa."

"I don't think this podcast was made on the date it was aired." It was Heero that had spoken up, his expression that of the 'perfect soldier'.

"Agreed, his leg is too far healed for that to be a recent podcast."

"I checked his leg out," Sally was saying; we all turned towards her to listen. "and it's going to need surgery to fix. If he wants to use it again."

I watched Heero as he left, digging my nails into my palms. "...Do we need to take him now?" "Yes."

**

* * *

**

I sat next to Duo most of the time I had a chance. Inwardly, I was grateful that Trowa and Wufei both were taking my missions. Secretly. He'd been in the hospital for a long time, the doctors keeping him under on purpose. while I was upset at this, I was both grateful. Whenever he wasn't deep asleep, he was whimpering. I did my best to keep him comfortable. That is to say that I took his hand in mine like I'd seen Quatre do. It seemed to help.

It was almost midnight when Dup opened his eyes. I'd so far managed to browbeat the nurses to let me stay past visitor time. When he opened his eyes, I stood up and leaned over him so that he could see me. I knew that the American pilot was prone to freaking out when he was in an unfamiliar place.

"...Duo?" I reached out and slid my fingers through his bangs, watching him quietly.

* * *

**============Duo===========**

I could feel that curtain of cloth slowly pulling aside, the fog rolling away. It was hard to discern where I was; I didn't smell anything familiar...but the ..scent of strawberries? I inwardly kept myself still, my breathing slow. I could sense someone next to me. More felt the heat than sensing. I could feel something heavy around my leg and arm, holding it still. An experimental wiggle of my toes explained that; it was a cast. The same must have been around my arm.

I chanced opening my eyes and saw the plain white ceiling. Before panic could set in, I saw a VERY familiar face come into my view. I was suddenly staring into Cobalt blue eyes at VERY close range. But something was different, Heero seemed....wait did he just touch my hair? Yea...he was. Without really thinking about it, I closed my eyes and relaxed, letting him brush my hair from my face.

"Ne.....Heero."

"Aa?" His voice was gentle, almost...scared. Heero Yuy was never scared.

"Where am I?" Stupid question, I know...but I wanted him to keep touching my hair; anything to keep him touching it.

"A hospital." That explained the almost sterilized smell I had noted.

"Oh..." His hand started pulling away from my hair and I reached up, grabbing his wrist. It took a little effort, but I opened my eyes and looked at his, now questioning. "Don't...."

"Don't what?"

"Stop.." Was that a smile I saw? A hint of one? No... it couldn't... My thoughts screeched to a halt, everything crashing down as I felt warm lips on my own. I jerked a second out of shock and then returned his kiss. It was a good thing to, because my initial reaction was making him pull away.

**

* * *

=======Heero=========**

I almost stopped brushing his hair when he spoke, but I gave it a shot, left my hand there. It paid off; if Duo had been a cat, I'm sure that he would have been purring.

"Ne....Heero."

"Aa?" I smiled slightly, just the slightest. I checked him over for wounds, something ANYTHING that could be causing him pain. I can't help it, I was worried.

"Where am I?" ... What kind of question was that? I shook my head silently and my hand stilled a moment. "A hospital." I pulled my hand away from his hair only to have him grab it and look up at me. I couldn't help but get lost in those eyes, I'd never looked at them close enough...

"Don't..." The word was almost a whisper, his eyes locked onto mine. I froze, watching him in silence.

"Don't what?" I was honestly curious; why had he stopped my hand?

"Stop..." I felt the corners of my mouth turn up into a ghost of a smile, watching him. I couldn't think of anything more that I'd wanted to say. I did something then that was out of character for me; I acted on impulse and leaned down to kiss Duo. At first, we both froze, then I started pulling away before he returned it, his arms - cast and all wrapped around my neck. We stayed like that a few moments, before I pulled away and watched him. A glance at the monitors showed that he was fine physically. They weren't doing anything for him that I couldn't take care of myself.

I started carefully pulling out needles and removing sensors; after I'd silenced the machines, of course. "We're going home, Duo."

"Aa.." I lifted him into my arms and carried him towards the window; It was only the first floor.

**

* * *

==========Duo==========**

Heero began removing the sensors and needles from me and I felt...relieved? When he lifted me up, I was a little in pain, but I relaxed and held on as he carried me out the window. The moonlight hit him just right as we ran through a splash of Water and I stared. The water made it look like he had Glistening wings.. He'd saved me, watched over me. That made me think back to the times that I saw Heero up in the windows of our school and I could look up at him, but he'd just be watching... Had he always watched? I remember Wing getting between me and attacks multiple times. How long had I been oblivious? That Heero didn't mind my yakking... I looked up at him again and smiled, pressing my face into his shirt. My Guardian Angel.


End file.
